Real world evidence of clinical predictors of glycaemic response to glucose-lowering drugs among Chinese with type 2 diabetes

Aims: To examine whether simple clinical features can predict the 1-year glycaemic response to glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) among Chinese with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: We used data from a diabetes risk assessment and complication screening programme and electronic medical records. We used linear regression models to examine the association between clinical features and 1-year glycaemic response to GLDs. Results: Use of metformin (n = 15,433), sulphonylureas (SU) (n = 15,190), dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) (n = 7947), thiazolidinedione (TZD) (n = 4107), and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) (n = 1883) were associated with a mean reduction of HbA1c ranging from 0.7% to 1.3% at one year. Men had a greater response to SU but a poorer response to metformin and TZD. Older age predicted a better response to all GLDs but not SGLT-2i, whereas increasing diabetes duration was associated with a poorer response to all GLDs except for DPP-4i. Obese patients responded greater to TZD and SGLT-2i but poorer to SU than those with normal weight. Patients with a higher level of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio had a greater glycaemic response to TZD but a smaller response to SU and DPP-4i. Conclusions: Glycaemic response to GLDs differed considerably by clinical features among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.